Mastering Search Engine Marketing: An Introduction to Pay-Per-Click
Level: Beginner
The quickest way to get yourself out there
What I love most about paid search engine ads is the right-here-right-now! actor. Unlike Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which takes months to yield results, Pay Per Click (PPC) search ads allow you to create ads and see results instantly. But that does make it very tempting to start running campaigns without proper planning.
It’s important to remember: Although getting started with platforms like Google Ads is very simple, mastering search ads is a whole other story. Becoming a PPC expert can take years.
How does it work exactly?
Google and Microsoft ads work on the simple principle that you only pay when someone clicks on one of your ads.
In a nutshell, you create text ads and associate those ads with certain keywords. Once someone searches using your defined keywords (and some other conditions are met) your ad will be displayed along with organic search engine results. And then you cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Picking your PPC platform
When talking about paid media in Search Engine marketing (SEM), we can forget about paid ads on social media platforms for a while. (We’ll talk about those a bit later on in this article.)
In this section, we’ll be focusing specifically on search ads. And for those, we’ll need Google and Bing.
Google Ads
Google Ads is where any aspiring search engine marketer’s journey should begin. The best thing about this platform is its unique combination of simplicity and functionality. You can get your first ad up and running in a matter of minutes.
Bing (Microsoft Ads)
Microsoft Ads is the lesser used of the 2 search titans, but this gives it one big advantage: Smaller cost-per-clicks (CPC). But of course, this also comes with smaller audiences.
Another huge advantage of Microsoft ads is the ability to target specific people based on their Linkedin profiles. This is perfect if you want to market premium products to high LSM audiences.
The best practice is to use a combination of Google Ads and Microsoft Ads. Luckily the good people at Microsoft Ads (not wanting to be left out) have made it super easy to import your ads directly from Google Ads. So you only have to create your campaigns once. How great is that?
That being said, I would advise running and optimising your Google Ads campaigns for a few months before exporting to Microsoft Ads.
Picking the right audience
One of the things that set PPC advertising apart from SEO based search engine marketing is the power you have to show your ads to exactly the right people.
This can be done by setting specific areas, age groups, genders, and more. But it can be further optimised by using the correct tone in your ad copy.
Remember, every click will cost you money. So you have to do everything you can to make sure the right people click on your ads.
It’s a good idea to have a brand strategy and brand voice guide on hand, before starting work on your search ads.
How much will this cost me?
Your total monthly cost is calculated as follows: Total Monthly CPC + Management Fee.
Total Monthly CPC
CPC’s can vary wildly. The biggest determining factor in CPC’s is competition. If your keywords are in a high competition or highly saturated niche, there is a huge chance that your CPC’s are going to high.
Finding the exact CPC’s of your keywords before running a campaign isn’t possible, but there are tools that can help you get estimates. (See Tools below.)
Management Fee
Most companies who make use of PPC ads decide to hire someone to manage their accounts. So if you’re planning to manage your own account, this cost doesn’t apply to. But it’s definitely something to consider.
A campaign manager will set up your account efficiently and optimise your campaigns on a daily basis to make sure you are not losing money with the wrong keywords, off-target audiences or ineffective ads.
Campaign managers charge either monthly or hourly fees.
Picking the right tools
The Keyword Planner
The keyword planner is a free tool that’s built into the Google Ads user interface. The planner will help you predict how much your keywords will cost you and what type of clickthrough rates can be expected.
This will help you to choose the right keywords and will ultimately give you an idea of the budget you’ll need to run an effective search campaign.
Grammarly
School was a long time ago. For me at least. That’s why I always have Grammarly open in a browser tab. This tool isn’t directly related to PPC campaigns, but it can be a lifesaver nonetheless. Bad grammar and writing will not only affect your clickthrough rates but also leave a bad mark on your brand image. Grammarly will help you find errors in your writing that other tools, such as normal spell checkers, won’t pick up.
Semrush
Semrush is the swiss army knife of digital marketing tools. Semrush features loads of tools that will help you write copy, research trends, pick keywords, track results and more. It’s quite pricey, but worth every cent.
Google Data Studio
After you’ve run your campaigns for a while it’s important to track your success. Google Data Studio is a relatively simple (and free) way to set up reports and dashboards to help give you valuable insights into your campaigns. They even have a handy dashboard template to get you started.
Google Sheets
Yup, however hard we try, we can’t get away from spreadsheets. In this instance, you should use it to create a Search Ads Diary. This is a place where you can log all the changes you make to your campaigns and keywords. I know this might sound tedious, but I promise you’ll thank me later. If you see something strange happening in your metrics, such as a sudden spike in CPC, your diary will help you determine which changes were responsible. And of course, save you money.
Is a PPC campaign the right choice for my business?
Although PPC campaigns are an amazing and quick way to get your products out there, it might not always be the best option for you. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I have a specific, measurable action I want users to take on my website? For example, sign up for a newsletter or make a purchase.
- Do I have enough budget available to run ads in my specific niche? (How many ads for other companies do you see when you search for your keywords?)
- Is my niche allowed in search ads? (See the Google Ads guidelines)
If you answered no to any of these questions, it might be wiser to focus your efforts and budget on SEO or social media ads.
Terms to understand before you jump in
PPC — Pay per Click
SEM — Search Engine Marketing
Impressions — The number of times your ad is seen.
CTR — Clickthrough rate. This is the rate at which users click on your ad.
Conversions — Actions that are taken after users click on your ad such as sign-ups, telephone calls and purchases
Ad group — Contains multiple ads linked to a set of keywords
Campaign — Contains multiple ad groups
If you have any questions about PPC campaigns or if you would like a quote for campaign management, drop us an email at info@thedelta.io
The Delta Studio, specialises in validating, building and scaling startups and products with founders, corporates and VCs. www.thedelta.io
